From the East Wing, With The Bishop of Winchester, Cold Hot Dogs & Kool-Aid, Sunburns at Southfork, Bentley & Spike, BP & Money

Greetings to all, and welcome Sweet Home Alabama,

It surprised me how many people thought I’d just made up the story of St. Swithin. Now granted the ole boy’s not as popular as St. Valentine or St. Nicholas, or even the Easter Bunny for that matter. He didn’t bring ya chocolate or give ya presents, didn’t even give ye colored eggs.

Although he did do a miracle with a case of eggs a while back. What happened was a lady was taking the eggs to an open market when she encountered a gang of mean men looking for something other than eggs. Without getting into all the sordid details the case of eggs was smashed. Along comes St. Swithin and proves all the kings horses and all the kings men wrong, by putting all the eggs back together again. It’s not water into wine, but is an omelet reversal. That is why ya supposed to eat eggs on St. Swithin Day. He’s just as legitimate as they come in the saint business. That Bishop of Winchester.

Saint Swithin lived a long, long time ago, it was over 1148 years ago was when he was buried in 862. Ya know that’s a long time when it seems strange to write a year with just three digits. He was the Bishop of Winchester for 10 years. Now being the Bishop of Winchester was no lowly job by any means, it was surely the single most important church position in England.

Now when the King of England comes to your church, ya know ya got his ear, so to speak. Kinda like President Obama going to the Rev. Wright’s church in Chicago and not listening to what’s being said, for twenty years. Yeah Wright, or was that wrong?

On his deathbed St. Swithin instructed that he be buried outside the north wall of his cathedral where passers-by could walk over his grave and raindrops from the eaves drop upon him.

When he died, back in 862, he was buried outside like he wanted. But ‘bout 100 years later, it was considered unsuitable that such a holy a man rest in a common grave. I guess by then everybody forgot that he wanted to be out there in the rain in the first place. So on July 15, the saint's feast day, they went to dig him up and enshrine his remains inside his church. Legend has it that St. Swithin caused torrential rains to fall for 40 days, until the intended transfer was abandoned.

Well that makes a really neat story but that’s not exactly how it ended, with St. Swithin still outside in the rain. The legend got it wrong, as many legends do. The real ending is even more interesting, although St. Swithin didn’t want to be brought in from the rain, he was. In fact not only brought in from the rain, but dismembered and as time went on, parts of St. Swithin were hauled to different churches all over England.

Seem good saints were hard to come by, even back then, and everybody wanted a part of St. Swithin, so he ended up here and there and most everywhere. But always inside not outside like he wanted. It did rain forty days when they first dug him up. So it just makes the story better.

And ya gotta keep in mind that back then they didn't have TV to look at so they made up good stories. After watching some of the TV crap on today, I long for St Swithin type stories.

The St. Swithin story and the rain is the source of a really old Scottish weather proverb regarding rain on July 15. "St. Swithin's Day if thou dost rain, / For forty days it will remain." With my dad being part Scottish, the St. Swithin’s Day rain for 40 days was one of the first weather lore stories I can remember as a child. St. Swithin’s historical importance as bishop is far overshadowed by his reputation for posthumous miracle-working. According to tradition, the weather on his feast day (15 July) will continue for forty days.

Speaking of weather lore, last weeks email brought a couple new ones I’d never head before. I’ll be sure and share those with ya later in the year, but one has to be used today. “The faster a cricket chirps, the warmer the temperature”. I don’t know ‘bout your house cricket, but mine’s been really, really chirping here lately.

I almost forgot to tell ya, July 15, 2010 was the hardest 24 hr. rainfall on England so far this year, and it’s forecast to continue to rain for quite some time. Coincidence or St. Swithin? Ya just never know for sure ‘bout stuff like that.

Thank you one and all for your expressed concern ‘bout my health and offered up prayers on my behalf. It must be working as I'm feeling much better and my blood sugar level is going in the right direction. Not yet normal, but a lot better than in the 450+ range. So things are coming back into focus and life is getting back to normal in my world.

The major changes in my life are the eating habits. For the good, for a change. Lots of veggies and non carbohydrate type foods. It turns out ya can eat lots of good stuff, just don’t eat lots of carbohydrates and sugar. I used to think that eating diabetic food doomed one to a life of bland food with no hope of tasting real food ever again in your life, boy was I wrong. I’ve never eaten so well in my life as I do now. Today for lunch me and the she had a vegetable pizza, yes, a vegetable pizza and it was great. Never thought I’d ever say, much less type such a thing.

Eating six or even seven times a day takes some getting used to, but it works out well. Salsa has always been one of my favorite foods and I find out I can eat as much as I want, any time I want. SWEET ! I now put salsa on everything, salsa on green beans, one of my personal favorites. I’m thinking ‘bout maybe trying salsa & soup beans.

Thanks also for the many diabetic recipes that have been sent my way. We will try 'em all, and I do appreciate someone taking the time to send it to me. I’m amazed at how may of those visiting the East Wing every week are diabetic, and I thought I was alone. It turns out I’m in the company of friends and family. In the presence of friends and family, one’s never alone. It’s kinda like getting bad news. Somehow if ya receive bad news, it just becomes more bearable if ya share the bad news with others. Don’t know why that is, it just is. And things like that ya don’t spend too much time trying to figure it out why. It just is, so leave it alone and go think ‘bout other stuff.

What makes my adjustments in eating habits so easy is the fact that me and the she both eat the same thing. Except she only eats three times a day and I do the six or seven thing. Now I was always of the impression that a diabetic diet was a sure fire way to lose weight. Not so, haven’t lost much, less than 10 lbs, but if ya can eat six or seven times a day and not gain weight ya gotta be happy, and full.

July is the hottest month of the year. With that thought in mind I started remembering what we used to do in Downtown Toto before air conditioning. It was hot back then too. We would open the house to the night air after sunset and leave everything open until morning, every window, every door. They all had screens, both windows and doors. Then in the early morning, draw all the shades, windows and doors before the temperature starts to rise for the day.

To feel cooler, we’d eat cooler. Cold hot dogs and lots of Kool-Aid. Bologna Sandwiches and Ice Water. Getting ice was kinda different than now. Today I just put the glass under the magic hole in the refrigerator door and presto, ice fills the glass. Having ice available in 1957 was more labor intensive. It was a process more so than an outcome. Effort before need was a prerequisite for ice in 1957. It wasn’t great ice, but it was good ice. Back then there was no expiration date on ice. When it all melted, ya just figured it had expired.

Anybody got sunburned this summer? I’m amazed that I’ve not sunburned the top of my head this year, for sure not too much hair, just too little exposure to the ole sun. Did ya ever put apple cider vinegar on sunburns, or Witch Hazel, or cold peppermint tea? That’s what Lou used on me at Southfork if I got too much sun.

One time I got sunburned on my face real bad from playing in the waters of Southfork too long during the “high sun” time of the day. The “high sun” is that time in which the sun shined directly on where you’re at. In the mountains that could be a fairly short time period, as another mountain could be blocking the remainder of the day. So knowing the high sun time was important when ya played in the creek at Southfork, ‘cause sunshine reflecting off the water burns faster than when you’re outside the water.

Anyway, when I got my face sunburned, Lou washed my face with buttermilk. Now don’t laugh, it worked. She done it 3 times. The first time just as soon as I came in the house from playing in the water. The second time after we all ate supper. The third time just before I went to bed. I though Lou was crazy, washing me with buttermilk and all. Then the next morning I woke up with no sunburn. Well I guess that’s just another example of how Lou and I got along. I still miss that old girl, Lou.

There’s another way to prevent sunburn. Wear a Hat. DUH!

Got a new dog at the East Wing, name of Bentley. Now Bentley’s had some tough days in his life, can tell by the way he acts, or more accurately, the way he reacts. I hate people who abuse pets, sickos all. If ya don’t want ‘em don’t get ‘em, but don’t abuse ‘em when ya get ‘em. I think that’s an old hillbilly saying.

Bentley’s ‘bout two years old and just last week went to the doctor for that special surgery. Came home the same afternoon barking two octaves higher, but he’s fine and none the less for wear. Just a little clip, clip here and a little clip, clip there and presto, a Brown and White Soprano.

Bentley’s best pal is Spike. A size difference of 60 lbs or so doesn’t seem to bother Spike or Bentley. They play. When I told ‘em not to play ruff, Spike said “If he gets hurt it’s his own fault”. Spike rules. While Sophia wants nothing to do with Bentley until she sees his voter registration card and picture ID. she did ask if Bentley had ever been through the Arizona desert. I know where that cat’s going with those type questions. Even without the voter registration card, I’m pretty sure Bentley’s a democrat, ‘cause he just lays around like the 2girldogs, looking for a handout.

Sure am glad to see that oil well coked off in the Gulf of Mexico. At least for the time being, and hopefully for good. Now the real fight begins, who gets the money. What about the vacationers from Kansas who didn’t get to go to the Gulf Cost on vacation this year due to the oil spill, surely they should be compensated some amount for having to go somewhere else on vacation.

Seems to me it could have been a lot better public relations move if the President had taken his family on vacation to the Gulf Cost last week, right after telling all of us to go there on vacation, then take his family to Maine. Maybe there was a Community Organizers Convention or something like that up there in Maine, But it’s hard to tell,‘cause all those Community Organizer Conventions, they all look alike, up there in Maine.

Knowing our government’s ability to screw things up, I expect the disgruntled Kansas Vacationers will be placed in line just ahead of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, who is way up front of that lowly deck hand on the shrimp boat who’s not worked since April, or has any expectations of ever working on a shrimp boat again in his foreseeable future. But he’ll get something, we just don’t care when or how much.

Do ya really think BP gives a damn. I don’t. BP cares ‘bout making money for it’s investors, nothing more, nothing less. As cold and cruel as that may seem to many, all corporations exist for the very same and single reason. Does a company exist to create jobs. No. A company exist to make a profit for its investors. Nothing more, nothing less. Anybody who thinks otherwise, doesn’t have a clue as to how and why corporations function the way they do. That simple fact is Business Management 101, first day, first hour, and repeated forever.

Did BP plan this disaster? Of course not. No more than Toyota planning to build 10 million cars that had to be repaired. The way I look at this whole sorry mess is the Toyota cars didn’t dump crap in the ocean. Had they done so, Toyota would be putting up the 20 billion fund to pay the mad vacationer from Kansas, who’s standing right behind the President who had to vacation in Maine due to the oil spill.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the East Wing, With The Bishop of Winchester, Cold Hot Dogs & Kool-Aid, Sunburns at Southfork, Bentley & Spike, BP & Money

I wish you well,
BobbyRay